Blogger Outreach Changes the PR Timeline Forever
Posted on 27. Sep, 2011 by Jay Baer in Blog, blogger outreach, PR 2.0, public relations, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
PR behemoth Ketchum (the PR agency of record for ConAgra) caught it’s foot in a bear trap of its own manufacture recently, when it thunk up and perpetrated a bait and switch blogger outreach program.
Evidently, Ketchum invited a group of bloggers to a restaurant in NYC, where they would enjoy a “delicious four-course meal”, a food trends discussion from an analyst, and an unexpected surprise. Unexpected indeed, as the big reveal turned out to be that the four-course meal had not been prepared by the celeb chef owner of the restaurant, but was rather from ConAgra’s Marie Callendar division.
And it all went horribly wrong from there. Outraged at being duped in some sort of post-modern “I can’t believe that’s Folger’s Coffee” stunt, some bloggers wrote negative posts about the experience, forcing ConAgra and Ketchum to apologize.
Simon Salt has an excellent post about this that rightly points out that the bloggers should have been more cognizant of the overall scenario, and asked who Ketchum was representing. It’s a good point. But, I think there’s another lesson here which is that there is no substitution for relationships.
Bloggers Are Not Reporters
Bloggers are not typically trained journalists that understand the company/PR firm/reporter news continuum. Bloggers are also typically not full-time writers. Nor are they particularly interested in regurgitating your carefully crafted news release. Bloggers want to create a story with you, not for you. The result of all this is that bloggers are time-starved, suspicious, and persnickety.
By any definition, I am only a modestly successful blogger. Yet I still see 10+ pitches from PR firms every single day, most of them untarged, unfocused, irrelevant, and instantly deleted. The ones I read demonstrate some awareness of what I actually write, and treat me as a distinct individual, not Row 13 on the “social media bloggers” Excel spreadsheet.
But the real secret to blogger outreach isn’t relevancy or personalization. It’s recognition. I work with quite a few PR firms all across North America on social media packaging, pricing, staffing, selling, and operations. My team and I help them grow their social media business, without self-immolating the way Ketchum did in this situation. When it comes to blogger outreach, the point we always emphasize is that you have to build relationships with bloggers before you need them, not when you need them.
If you have a blogger event coming up in 90 days, you need to start building relationships with potential invitees TODAY, not 15 days out from the event. Read the blog every day. Comment on blog posts (add value, don’t just say “great post”). Tweet blog posts. Google + blog posts. Linkedin share blog posts. Interact on Twitter with the blogger when he/she poses a humorous, semi-rhetorical question. The objective is to make damn sure that when you need to get on the bloggers’ radar for real, she recognizes your name and your avatar.
The Changing Timeline of PR
This is of course a difficult proposition for PR firms because it requires the one thing they have in very short supply….time. If you have to start sucking up to bloggers 90 days out from your big event, how do you pay for that agency time? How do you bill that back to the client? It’s tricky to be sure, and requires agencies to redefine blogger outreach from a project-based circumstance to an ongoing circumstance. PR firms need to be billing their clients to develop relationships on a retainer basis, so those blogger bridges can be crossed whenever necessary.
That’s also why I see smart PR firms starting to specialize more and more in a particular vertical, whether it’s B2B technology, marketing to women, or food and beverage. It’s much easier and cost effective to develop and maintain many blogger relationships when doing so can benefit multiple clients instead of just the one client with the big launch coming up soon.
We’re entering an era of the Invitation Avalanche where consumers are besieged by offers to click, connect, friend, follow, download, and more. And the same is true of bloggers. Any bloggers with a decent audience are constantly asked to write, review, or participate. So what makes your “special blogger event” so special? It’s not the food, or the celebrity chef, or the restaurant. It’s the fact that the invite comes from YOU, a person they recognize and respect.
And in Ketchum’s case, if they had built real relationships with these bloggers before the event, they could have given them a heads-up in advance about the objectives of the event: “Marie Callendar’s is just as good as restaurant food. Come check it out and see if you agree.” Or, the bloggers would have at least felt less jerked around, mitigating their ire and the subsequent blowback.
Is building relationships in advance more work? Yep. So it’s up to you to convince your client (or boss) that it’s worth it.
Despite all the apps and influence metrics and crazy stunts, social media isn’t a game. It’s about business. Relationships are the foundation of success in business, and Twitter and Facebook and Klout and WordPress don’t change that one iota.
What the Playground Can Teach you about Social Media
Posted on 01. Jun, 2011 by Stacey Acevero in Blog, Guest Posts, personal branding, PR 2.0, PRWeb, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, social media marketing, social media pr, stacey acevedo, Vocus
Guest post by Stacey Acevero, social media community manager at Vocus and PRWeb.
Integrating social media into your online marketing mix can be a lot like the first day of school. The marketplace, and the playground, is filled to the brim with those both mature and immature, those that are outspoken and shy and each has its very own set of rules.
Remembering that the social world is really a combination of communities and groups who move in ever widening (and connecting) relationship circles, be sure your PR and social media efforts follow the rules that every smart small business marketer needs to know.
1. Make Sure to Make Friends
Go beyond writing a press release, a blog or posting company content into social streams. Rather, start conversations with journalists and target audiences alike by setting aside your personal agenda for a few minutes. Introduce yourself and offer something of value without asking for favors.
Comment on other posts, join conversations and participate in forums to establish your presence. Make positive remarks about content you like and be careful about criticizing content you don’t without spending the appropriate time explaining why and how you might approach it differently.
Be sure to share liberally. Add your thumbs up and positive ratings to let others know you’re interested in what they have to say and you appreciate their expertise and/or point of view.
Being a valued member of the community is key to a long-term, successful social strategy. If you join only to serve your own needs, you might find yourself playing alone.
2. Find Ways to be Resourceful & Creative
On any playground the most fun kids often end up with the most playmates, and oftentimes are the best at drawing a crowd.
Everyone wants to play with the kid that successfully turns the jungle gym into a fortress guarded by a fire-breathing dragon who is protecting a princess. These little social butterflies are also good at letting others play lead roles, like the princess, dragon and ever-handsome knight. What does this sharing of the spotlight create? Relationships!
As you build a following by telling stories, asking questions, offering helpful advice without always asking for something in return – don’t forget about those watching from a distance.
Ask them to participate. Invite readers to comment on your blog or answer a question in Facebook by making it easy for them. Don’t start by forcing them into uncomfortable situations or excluding them. Rather, ask simple questions to help build their confidence, or ask a non-industry related question so they can get their feet wet without fearing that their answers are incorrect.
Polls are a great and easy way to do this, ask a question and offer a few answers. All they have to do is click.
3. Be Ready to Stand up for Yourself
We’ve likely all been the victim of a playground scuffle or two. The important thing to remember is first trying to avoid situations where you or someone else can be the victim of a bully.
But if/when it happens it’s often best if you don’t pretend as though it’s not happening. If others are saying things you don’t agree with OR things about your brand that aren’t true, you don’t have to stay quiet.
You have the right to express your opinion but follow these three rules before you do:
• Think before you speak! Remember that hasty responses rarely come off better than those you spent some time thinking about.
• Consider how your content sounds to people just learning about the conversation. Snotty comments do little to add to your credibility.
• Add “oomph” to your message with facts. This is where you can establish yourself as credible. Offer links/stats from research that supports your position. Other kids on the playground may want to disagree with you but they can’t argue with facts.
• Remember the words “in perpetuity.” Once you hit that post button, your words are available forever for all to see. Be sure your message is one that won’t come back to haunt you for days, weeks or even years in the future.
The good news about joining the social media playground is most of life’s lessons can be applied.
Be a person that plays well with others, pays attention to all and continually uses resources to provide help when it’s needed. Start by leveraging what the playground taught you in your social efforts and you’ll be on your way to being the cool kid.
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